Review on CRANKBROTHERs Pedal Stamp Small Black by Tom Childress

I wanted to upgrade my stock Wellgo pedals (first photo) with something extra for my big feet. After reviewing all the major flat pedals on the market, I ordered the "Stamp 1" composites in a size L. The other contender was the OneUp composite, but several reviewers indicated that riders can feel the spindle bulge through their shoes, so I settled on the Crank Bros. one Here are my pros and cons: 1) The insole is a decent size but the actual measurements are 110 x 110. If you've used larger calipers then they probably measure due to the design offset 115mm but the insole is 110mm 2) The semi-raised (bulged out) spindle wasn't a problem for me and I ride with the balls of my feet on the spindle, not like true mountain bike riders 3) Pedals rotate freely or close to it correct out of the box not tight at all which is generally a mark of quality I know very little about the spindle in general but the exploded view looks impressive. Crank Bros. even sells a refresh kit for those who put in the miles. 4) With the traction pins set to max, the grip was very good while seated and like superglue out of the saddle. 5) There are 9 pull pins on each side. The asymmetrical layout places 3 in front, 2 in back and 4 next to the spindle. At first I thought this would be a problem as I would always be looking down to lift the right side of the pedal. But it always has 3 pins forward no matter which side of the pedal you are on. 6) It seems very durable for a composite pedal. I experienced no flexing, forward or backward, from the spindle. 7) Another thing worth noting, which isn't a plus or minus, is that one pedal (left) says Stamp_1 and the other pedal (right) says the Crank Bros logo. 8) Not being an expert but having many bikes and pedals, the weight of these pedals seems good to me. Neither light as a feather nor heavy. I would say the size is true to size. Cons: 1) I didn't need the owner's manual and it doesn't come with the pedals. They advise you to go to the Crank Bros website. for details. The website suggests a torque setting for tightening, but their photo shows a non-torque hex wrench. There is no flat wrench/spindle nut on the pedals so I'm not sure how easy it will be to later remove them with an allen wrench. 2) The distance between the pedal and the crank is minimal (see figure). This somewhat defeats the purpose of buying a bigger pedal. I can almost feel my knuckle banging against the handle. So I ride with the pedal sticking out 1/2" in to compensate for this. 3) Since I ride a hybrid bike I lengthened some of the pull pins to about 67% of the height. There was a Loctite version on the threads , so I have a feeling the pins may vibrate at some point. This looks like an accident. If anyone has experience in this area I'd love to hear from you. 4) The pedals came in a cheap gray plastic bag without Padding sent I was lucky enough to get mine intact Overall the pedals are quite stable If the distance between the pedal and crank was a little more and I felt the pull pins would stay in I would give 5 stars.